The kids are all right

A simple thank-you note was all it took for THOMAS MCLEAN to realise his students were on the right course.

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In June, at the end of the university semester, I received a thoughtful thank-you note from a student. She was a science major but, for a change of pace, had taken a class I co-teach on Gothic fiction (think Frankenstein and Dracula) and had thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s always gratifying to receive positive feedback, but the student’s note made my week, maybe my month.

New Zealand’s universities are going through a difficult, potentially devastating time. Hundreds of scholars are either taking voluntary redundancy or wondering if their positions will survive the year. To make matters worse, Covid-19 has reshaped the way we teach, and AI developments are forcing us to rethink assessment. It’s hard to prepare a lecture, let alone a new course, in these conditions.

Yet we continue to love what we do, and to do our best for our students. And I know that they appreciate it. Forty-five students took our Gothic class, and some of the best discussions of my 18 years at Otago took place in those tutorials.